Launched in 2005 at a cost of RM48 million and built over 136.9ha, the centre Was aimed at developing the aerospace industry.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said among the biggest investors was Spirit Aero Systems (M) Sdn BM, which developed an Airbus wing installation facility and created 10 main vendors and 70 smaller vendors to support the industry.

“This is not inclusive of Airod as the main-tenance, repair and overhaul contractor, which had existed since 1987 to service military air-craft, and the MAS service centre.”

Rahim was replying to a question from Salleh Kalbi (BN-Silam), who wanted to know about the centre at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang. He said the centre’s latest project was the building of a helicopter centre by Eurocopter Malaysia worth RM50 million. It will open next year.

]]>http://subangskypark.com/finding-new-buildings-in-the-dust-of-the-old/feed/0Firefly denies talk of ceasing opshttp://subangskypark.com/firefly-denies-talk-of-ceasing-ops/
http://subangskypark.com/firefly-denies-talk-of-ceasing-ops/#respondTue, 06 Mar 2012 11:45:22 +0000http://internut.com.my/clients/skypark/terminal/?p=1082PETALING JAYA:Firefly has denied market talk it will cease flight operations to provide more space to AirAsia, as part of the share-swap deal between the national carrier and the low-cost airline.

was to cease the jet operations from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Other than that, we are always looking for possibilities to grow.”

Ong said Firefly would lease some of its turbojets as it planned to acquire the new-generation turbojets, which would only be available four years from now.

He said Firefly was in the midst of rationalising its routes and capacity in line with the parent’s business plan. “We might be introducing new routes in a month or two and we are also looking to adjust some of our frequencies,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ong said Firefly has targeted a 20% increase in sales revenue at the Matta Fair here on March 16-18, &on-1-RM’ million recorded at last year’s fair. — Bernama

However, that hinged on its load factor improving to an average 89% from some 60% to 65% now, Ong told StarBiz “We want to expand Firefly in the long term, and one of the things we are considering is new-generation turboprops. But they will probably not come onto the market for anoth-er five years. ‘In the meantime, we could lease some aircraft,” he said at a briefing on Firefly’s participation in the upcoming KL Matta Fair.

Ong also refuted claims that the turboprop airline was quitting the local aviation scene to make way for AirAsia Bhd, which had in August signed a share-swap deal with Firefly owner Malaysia Airlines (MAS). “We are here to stay, and here to grow: just to be clear, Firefly has never been a low-cost carrier. We are a community airline, and our key selling point is the convenience of the airport we are based in. “Subang is not really a low-cost airport as it caters to business travel-lers. The only thing we rationalised was the jet services flying out of KLIA. Our turboprop flights are intact. “We are not ceasing operations to accommodate AirAsia. I think there was a little bit of miscommunication” he said.

For this year’s KL Matta Fair, Firefly is targeting a 20% increase in sales to IZML2miL Ong stressed that this Was achievable despite the .gloomy forecasts for global air travel. “The idea is to generate demand, and I think with the right price and package, a lot of people are willing (to travel). There is a lot of pent-up demand. The 70% target is actually con-servative. We are looking at 20% and above, minimum,” he added.

]]>http://subangskypark.com/firefly-eyes-fleet-expansion/feed/0Firefly’s here to stay and growhttp://subangskypark.com/fireflys-here-to-stay-and-grow/
http://subangskypark.com/fireflys-here-to-stay-and-grow/#respondTue, 06 Mar 2012 01:40:53 +0000http://internut.com.my/clients/skypark/terminal/?p=1007KUALA LUMPUR: Community airline Firefly, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, has denied ru-mours that it will cease flight op-erations to make way for AirAsia Bhd.

The rumours came about as part of the share-swap deal between MAS and Airasia in August last year.

MAS, and Firefly chief operating officer (short-haul) Ignatius Ong said Firefly is not a low-cost carrier, thus has no relation with AirAsia.

We do not cease operation to ac-commodate for AirAsia … Just to be clear, Firefly is actually a commu-nity airline,” he said.

Ong also said that the only thing Firefly did was to cease jet opera-tions from Kuala Lumpur Interna-tional Airport, adding that Firefly is always looking for possibilities to grow.

“The Firefly turboprop operations continue to stay. We are here to stay and we are here to grow,” he said.

Meanwhile, Firefly is considering leasing some of its turbojets as it plans to acquire new generation turbojets as part of its expansion drive.

New generation turboprop air-craft are not coming into place until probably another five years down the road. So, we are considering looking at leasing some aircraft to come in Ong said

However, he said that depends on the market demand.

“Once we have actually sustained a higher demand, definitely we’ll be looking at the expansion,” he said. .

Ong also said that Firefly will an-nounce some new routes and rear-rangement of frequencies in the next two months.

“We may adjust the route frequen-cies on those that are not popular. But those which are actually with high demand, we are looking at putting more frequency into those routes,” he said.

Meanwhile, Firefly is targeting a 20 per cent increase in sales revenue for its turboprop operation at the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents Fair in Kuala Lumpur, from RM1 million made last year.

He said Firefly would the best deals and value ac and incorporate shopping int, of its travel and tour packa; fered at the fair

]]>http://subangskypark.com/fireflys-here-to-stay-and-grow/feed/0New super premium airline in the workshttp://subangskypark.com/new-super-premium-airline-in-the-works/
http://subangskypark.com/new-super-premium-airline-in-the-works/#respondMon, 28 Nov 2011 11:48:43 +0000http://internut.com.my/clients/skypark/terminal/?p=1086AirAsia chief Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, who already has interest in four airlines, is set to expand his empire further as he moves to start a new super-premium full-service carrier (FSC) that will compete head-on with Qantas’ upcoming Asia-based super-prernium FSC called RedQ aviation sources said.

Likely to be called Caterham Jet, the new airline is said to have yet to be granted an operating licence by the government, but sources said several Bombardier CRJ have been secured for the regional airline and have been sent for retrofitting.

Incidentally, it is believed that Fernandes’ Formula i Team Lotus will change its name to Caterharn next year. “Plans are for the proposed airline to operate out of Subang and commence operations in May next year. Some of the proposed routes include Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore,” a source said.

Besides AirAsia, Fernandes now has stakes in AirAsia X, Malaysia Airlines (MA.S) and its unit Firefly. He became a substantial shareholder in the national carrier following the recent MAS-AirAsia share swap deal. Talk of the new airline operating out of Subang has been further strengthened on keen interest by MAS and Firefly to redevelop Terminal2 of the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.

Subang SkyPark Sdn Bhd is believed to be the frontrunner for the job, as it is already managing the Skypark Terminal (formerly Termin.al 3) next door before the emergence of MAS as a strong contender for the redevelopment works.

To recap, SunBiz reported in April that Subang Skypark was in talks with MARE to redevelop Terminal 2, which has been vacant since November 2009 after the airport operator relocated its corporate headquarters to Sepang.

It is understood that Subang Skypark has since submitted its proposal for the redevelopment of the terminal to MAHB and is awaiting a decision from the airport operator on the matter.

According to sources, Firefly, which currently operates its turboprop aircraft out of Skypark Terminal, had also earlier expressed its interest to redevelop Terminal 2. However, its proposal is unlikely to see the light of day following the MAS-AirA.sia partnership.

An industry source said there has been serious lobbying lately from MAS, under its new management team and deputy CEO Mohammed Rashdan Yusof , to redevelop and take over Terminal 2.

“It is unclear whether the lobbying from MAS is to get the national airline to manage and operate its subsidiary, Firefly, out of Terminal 2 or to allow the proposed new airline that is coming up under Fernandes’ stable of companies, to operate from there,” said a source.

Firefly and Berjaya Air are currently the only two airlines using SkyPark Terminal, operating the ATR 72-5oos and Deliavilland Dash 7.

However, observers pointed out that the new airline will further depress the local air travel industry at the expense of the people.

Already, they said, the recent MAS-AirAsia tie-up could have resulted in a monopoly, with MAS and Firefly being pushed to focus solely on premium air travel, while AirAsia dominates the low-cost market.

“With another new airline by Fernandes, he would be holding shares of five local airlines — AirAsia, AirAsia X, MAS, Firefly and the proposed Caterham Jet. “How would that hold up when the Competition Act 2010 is enforced on Jan I?” an observer asked.

The observer added that AirAsia fares to most domestic destinations have gone up despite assurance by Fernandes that the low-cost carrier’s fares will not rise after the MAS-AirAsia tie-up.

BY KANG STEW LI

]]>http://subangskypark.com/new-super-premium-airline-in-the-works/feed/0Air show to mark aviation milestonehttp://subangskypark.com/air-show-to-mark-aviation-milestone/
http://subangskypark.com/air-show-to-mark-aviation-milestone/#respondFri, 25 Nov 2011 11:47:27 +0000http://internut.com.my/clients/skypark/terminal/?p=1084KUALA LUMPUR: To coroimemo-rate 100 years of the country’s avi-ation industry, the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) will organise the Malaysian Air Festival at the Subang Skypark Terminal on Nov 26.

The two-day event, poised to be-come the largest general aviation show in Southeast Asia, will feature an aviation hall of fame and work-shops.

DCA deputy director-general Ahmad Nizar Daakar said the event would benefit the public an expose them to the world of avi-ation.

“Malaysians should be proud that Boeing and Airbus aircraft parts are manufactured locally and they arc recognised as high-quality products.

“We expect 50,000 people to turn up for the event and to get up close and personal with the aviators and their machines,” he said, adding that Malaysia had achieved a lo’ the past 100 years.

The event is supported by the Transport Ministry in partnership with Aviation Development Coi-po-ration Sdn Bhd, Berman River Air-field, Subang Skypark, TM Leopard and Pilatus Malaysia.

Media Prima is the official partner.

The entrance fee will be RA410 lbr adults and RM5 for children aged between 6 and 12. Entrance is free for senior citizens aged 55 and above, children 5 years and below and disabled visitors.

More information on the event can be found on DCA’s website at www.mayfest.com, or on its Facebook page at www.face-book.com/pages/Malaysia-Air-Festival.

He said it was hoped that the event could set a precedent for fu-ture aviation festivals to include more regional participation.

]]>http://subangskypark.com/air-show-to-mark-aviation-milestone/feed/0Maintain firefly servicehttp://subangskypark.com/maintain-firefly-service/
http://subangskypark.com/maintain-firefly-service/#respondFri, 14 Oct 2011 11:50:09 +0000http://internut.com.my/clients/skypark/terminal/?p=1088I READ with Interest about the proposed merger and rational-ising of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia and trust that logic will prevail, in particular, with regards to the Firefly service.With its base at Subang Air-port, Firefly has been ‘successful judging from its good load factor and the increase in fares over the last two years.With the rising number of tourists, senior government of-ficials, politicians and corporate leaders flying on Firefly, the air-line has gained recognition for its good service and keeping to its schedule.I have been a little surprised to have found myself seated next to some high profile people on flights to Singapore.Passengers are always in-formed of changes in flights and times, arising from cancellations of low-booked flights as much as 72 hours ahead.Furthermore, as the ATR-72 flies short haul, I believe that many Firefly regulars like me are happy with just a packet of peanuts or muffin and a cup of juice.Why should we want a pack of sandwiches, nasi lemak or pizza for a 60-minute or 90-minute flight in a turbo prop aircraft? As such, I say. Firefly should keep operating.CHEAH CHEONG TIANSubang Jaya, Selangor
]]>http://subangskypark.com/maintain-firefly-service/feed/0Helicopter tour packages to selected scenic spotshttp://subangskypark.com/helicopter-tour-packages-to-selected-scenic-spots/
http://subangskypark.com/helicopter-tour-packages-to-selected-scenic-spots/#respondThu, 23 Jun 2011 11:51:20 +0000http://internut.com.my/clients/skypark/terminal/?p=1090PETALIING JAYA: Tourists can now enjoy ‘an aerial view of selected scenic spots in he country via the 1IVialaysia Helicopter Tour Packages.